Season passes are now on sale at most Utah ski resorts, and even though many local skiers are bemoaning the usual yearly rate increase, it’s still smart to purchase during mid-summer for the best deal. Some resorts, like Snowbird and Alta, will increase their rates in the middle of September, while others won’t see a…
Tag: Solitude
Celebrate summer at the 2010 Wasatch Wildflower Festival
Summer in the Wasatch mean the powder snow is replaced with fields of wildflowers. In celebration of this explosion of color, the Cottonwood Canyons ski resorts host the Wasatch Wildflower Festival every year. The 2010 event takes place on July 16th through the 18th, and will give everyone interested a chance to learn about the…
Forest Service denies Solitude’s Silver Fork expansion
The U.S. Forest Service has denied Solitude Mountain Resort’s proposal to expand the ski area boundary on 182 acres in Silver Fork Canyon. According to the Forest Service, the proposal “didn’t comply with federal regulations governing recreation special uses”, and that allowing expansion into “adjacent, highly valued undeveloped areas is not consistent with the 2003…
Ski the backcountry in Silver Fork Canyon
This time of year, it’s strange to be writing about backcountry skiing, but the Wasatch Mountains look more like February than May at the moment. There’s still a lot of snow and backcountry skiing to be had, and Silver Fork Canyon, located next to Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon, is always a good…
Solitude scales back Silver Fork proposal
Fireworks have already been shot back and forth between Solitude Mountain Resort, backcountry skiers, the US Forest Service and watershed protectors over Solitude’s proposal to expand the ski resort boundaries into Silver Fork Canyon. Now Solitude is backing off their original desire to occupy the entire drainage. The new expansion has been cut back to…
Skiing the backcountry in Willow Heights
Willow Heights or “the Willows,” is a backcountry ski area across the highway from Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It’s a lesser known but awesome place for either a short tour or all day yo-yo fest. Open, low-angle bowls next to steep tree runs covered in well spaced pines is the main course…
Utah skiers celebrate seven feet of snow in seven days
Of course this happens in April. After an extremely dry winter, most skiers and snowboarders had written off the season. Then… BAM! The biggest storm of the 2010 ski season slammed into the Wasatch Front, dumping seven feet of snow in seven days… in April. The week-long storm started small but created consistent snowfall every day. Skiers rejoiced but still hit the resorts…
Beers and brats: tailgate barbecue a spring skiing tradition
Spring skiing, with its warm weather, blue skies and corn snow, is the perfect reason to get into the mountains while the rest of the masses break out golf clubs and mountain bikes. Skiers instead choose to revel in the high country while wearing t-shirts and sunglasses as they seek out that short window where…
Ski Salt Lake Shootout 2010 winners announced
Salt Lake City is home to some of the best skiing on the planet. As a result, Utah is also home to some of the best ski photographers in the industry. So it’s obvious for Ski Salt Lake to combine the two into a crazy, photography shootout over the course of seven days. As much…
Skiing without puking at Solitude
Location: Solitude Mountain Resort, Utah Activity: Skiing the first time in over a year. If you’re a fair weather skier, read on. If you ski no matter what the conditions, stop now or you might want to throw your old rear entry boots at me. I could lie and say I’ve done tons of skiing…